Featured Review: Rokit Boost SwageU Bluetooth Headphones

Rokit Boost was a name that was new to me, but I’m always game for trying out new headphones. In this case, Rokit Boost sent over their new SwageU Bluetooth headphones for us to check out. They are designed a lot like the LG Tone line of Bluetooth headphones. Do they stack up to LG’s quality? Let’s take a look.

The first thing I noticed about the SwageU headset is how light it is. The unit only weighs about an ounce and a half. When it’s around your neck you can hardly feel it. It’s a very comfortable design that makes it easy to wear all day. The headphones have six control buttons, three on each side. There are controls to answer/end a call, increase/decrease volume, and play/pause/change tracks during music playback. All of the controls are easy to find and use. The headset comes with a few different size ear buds so you can find the ones that are most comfortable for you.

The SwageU headset can connect to two devices at the same time, which is almost a requirement for me these days. I have a personal phone and a work phone and being able to use them both through one headset is very convenient. Set up is easy. Just turn on the headset and it’s in pairing mode. Use your phone to discover the new Bluetooth device and then the two units will sync up without requiring you to enter a pairing code.

The headset only comes with a USB charging cable, no wall adapter. This is a cost-cutting measure that seems to be a trend these days. I don’t like it. I was not able to get the 8 hours of talk time that Rokit Boost claims. My average was about 5 hours, which is not bad. The device recharges quickly. There’s a flap covering the charging port that I ripped off after the second day of having the headphones. It got in the way and it didn’t dock smoothly back in when I was done charging the unit. I’ve had the same problem with smartphones that have a cover for the charging port. The cover is there to keep dust our, but it’s more of an annoyance than a help.

The earbuds are held in place with magnets. These worked well, keeping the earbuds secure without holding them so tightly that you cant’t get them out when you need them. Sound quality was hit or miss for me. Music playback was ok. I’m not a fan of music streamed over Bluetooth because of the way the BT standard compresses sound. I’ve talked about that before. The SwageU was as good as other music playback devices I’ve tried. Phone calls were a different story.

On phone calls, I could hear people well enough. The party on the other end of the call could not hear me very well, though. This was repeated on call after call. If I was in a quiet room with no background noise, the microphone performed well enough and I didn’t get any complaints. I spend most of my work day in my car, and this is where I had issues. With the music turned off and just the background noise of the highway, callers on the other end couldn’t hear me clearly. The mic is housed in the left side of the device, and I found myself having to lift the left side of the unit up towards my mouth in order for the other person to hear me. There are two mic holes, but there’s no mention of any kind of noise cancellation. The experience wasn’t an acceptable one.

There are a lot of things to like about the Rokit Boost SwageU headset. It’s lightweight, battery life is decent, and the sound quality is passable. It’s perfect for listening to podcasts or audiobooks, and they are fine for music if you’re not that picky about compression. They are even fine for listening to phone calls, but it’s the bad microphone pick up and lack of noise cancellation that makes these unacceptable for my daily use. If you don’t need to use them in the car while you’re driving, the SwageU may work well for you. You can find the headphones on Amazon for about $55.